


Haunting the monster (棲み憑いた monsta)

by Mxxndance



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Fantasy, Halloween, M/M, Minor Lee Jooheon/Lee Minhyuk, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Quidditch, References to other idols, characters will appear gradually, help me idk how to tag, would be slow burn if it wasnt for the short length
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-01-04 21:23:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18351974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mxxndance/pseuds/Mxxndance
Summary: Jooheon didn’t care about stars. He didn’t care about o.w.l.s, about naps in the Astronomy tower, or Hyungwon’s fried neurons.  And really, how could they even be chewing at their dinner so unconcernedly when there was the possibility of a big scary thing hiding somewhere in the castle?Maybe a slim possibility, but still...Still…





	1. Troll in the Dungeons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jooheon didn’t care about stars. He didn’t care about o.w.l.s, about naps in the Astronomy tower or Hyungwon’s fried neurons. And really, how could they even be chewing at their dinner so unconcernedly when there was the possibility of a big scary thing hiding somewhere in the castle. Maybe a slim possibility, but still...  
> Still…

The Great Hall smelled like pumpkin pie. Like soul cakes and raisin bread steaming delicately from dozens of plates spread across all five tables. The sweet scent of fruit wafted appealingly through the corridors as toffee apples were secretly exchanged for sugar-coated hawberries. And all around the dining hall there was candy. Lots of delicious, flashy, colorful candy.

The students were already sitting at their place, laughing, and joking, and cheering gleefully with a cup of drink in their hands. Some of them hummed to old Halloween songs, while most of them carried pumpkin-shaped baskets filled with Halloween sweets at their backs. Everyone seemed extraordinarily happy that night.

Everyone, except from Jooheon, who kept stirring a giant meatball mummy immersed in his own thoughts.

“Jooheon-ah...”

“...”

“Yah, Jooheon-ah!”

Jooheon jumped on his seat and raised his head. At his side, Shownu was staring at him, a friendly but impatient request in his eyes.

“Your legs,” the boy said. “Can you stop moving them? I’m trying to eat this.” He pointed to a cheese ball shaped like an eye that kept rolling around his plate. “But it just won’t stay still.”

Jooheon gazed alternatively to the jumping cheese ball, to the quivering table and his own trembling legs, before straightening in a quiet and composed pose. “Sorry,” he muttered, deep, and serious, and too self-conscious to lift his eyes from the little yellow and black ribbons on his tunic.

Fortunately, Shownu didn’t seem to notice. He just smiled and thanked him, then returned his attention silently to his food. Just when he was about to prick the cheese ball, however, Jooheon’s legs started moving on their own accord and the slippery cheese ball escaped his fork once again. Shownu ran a hand through his hair in desperation.  

“Hey, Jooheon, are you alright?” An ashy brown-haired head leaned across the table, accompanied by threads of sapphire and bronze, and a concerned frown on Kihyun’s forehead.

“Uh?” he blinked once, twice, focusing his small alert-rounded eyes on his friend. “Yes…!” he replied, smiling stiffly before taking a quick glance at his back. “I mean… Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You don’t look that fine to me.”

“I’m alright. I’m Fine. I'm perfectly fine!”

“Yeah... super.” And that was sarcastic Hyungwon, honoring them with a sarcastic snort.

Kihyun’s frown grew even deeper.

After too much struggling, Shownu finally gave up on the cheese ball hunt and grabbed a potato pancake from a large dish in front of him. 

“He thinks a troll will appear in the dungeons.”

He didn’t have time to protest.

A choke sound, and suddenly, a violent rain fell upon their faces, showering them with pumpkin juice. A deep silence set on the table as Shownu stopped munching and blinked at the chaos, while Kihyun turned to his housemate and glared at him with wide enraged eyes matching a wide speechless grimace on his mouth. Jooheon just stared at them blankly.

“I’m sorry,” Hyungwon murmured, ears pink and a sweet apologetic smile on his lips, before discreetly putting down the jar he had been sipping from. “But really? A troll!?”

“Um, you know, that big magical creature. Big hands, big ears. Pretty much big everything. But not too handsome, if you ask me.”

“Yeah, thank you, hyung. I think I know what a troll is.”

Shownu nodded, once, more to himself than to the rest of the boys.

“And why would you think something like that?” Kihyun asked him, forcing a sympathetic smile as he rubbed himself dry and attempted incredibly, amazingly hard, not to stick his own fork on Hyungwon’s leg.

“Cause it’s Halloween,” he claimed, as if it was the obvious answer. Cause really, it was.

Not for Kikyun, apparently.

“And…?”

“And you know,” the boy frowned and shifted on his seat, more anxious than embarrassed. “There’s this rumor… They say that a big troll will appear in the dungeons each year at Halloween night.”

And he could swear he was trying his best not to bolt out of the Great Hall and keep running until he was safely sheltered under his blankets.

“That’s nonsense,” Kihyun shook his head. Meanwhile, Hyungwon pouted his lips together trying -and failing- to conceal his amusement. 

“But Minhyuk said...”

“Of course it was Minhyuk...” Kihyun sighed. “Listen. You can’t buy everything Minhyuk says, okay? He’s a Slytherin. And a very treacherous and nasty one.”

“Never trust a Slytherin,” Hyungwon stated. “Least a good-looking one.”

Kihyun rolled his eyes. “There’s no troll hiding in the dungeons, okay?” He rested a hand on his sleeve. “It’s more likely for Hyungwon to get his o.w.l. in Astronomy this year.”

“Yah! It was only once. And really, how can you expect me to have a stupid test at 3 in the morning and not fall asleep?”

“Yeah, maybe you should try looking at the stars in broad daylight. See if the sun burns the few neurons you have left.”

Jooheon didn’t care about stars. He didn’t care about o.w.l.s, about naps in the Astronomy tower or Hyungwon’s fried neurons. And really, how could they even be chewing at their dinner so unconcernedly when there was the possibility of a big scary _thing_ hiding somewhere in the castle? Maybe a slim possibility, but still...

_Still…_

“What if a troll _does appear_ , _without warning_ , _in the dungeons_?” he blurted, emphasizing each sentence separatedly. And just then, the urge to flee straight to his room was near unbearable. “O-or maybe a huge snake will come out of the bathroom sink. Or the Grim…!”

“Oh my gosh. You’ve been sneaking again into the restricted section of the library, haven’t you?” Kihyun pointed an accusing finger towards him. “Was it Minhyuk’s idea, too?” he puffed. “Either way – that’s it! You’re not reading any other Harry Potter book. Ever. I want them back on my desk first thing tomorrow morning. Every single one of them.”

“But…”

“Listen. Trolls don't pop out of dungeons like that. Trolls are original from Scandinavia, okay? And they live in caves, or rivers, or thick forests –no, Jooheon, not _that thick forest_ ,” he cleared up, before Jooheon could even start panicking about the Dark Forest _._ “And even if they are unnaturally big and strong –and maybe a little violent and unpredictable… They have the intellectual capacity of a bug, and possess no magical powers in their own right. Do you ever listen in professor Hagrid’s class?”

“Um, sometimes...?”

And now that he mentioned it, maybe it made sense.

Indeed, it had been Minhyuk who had brought the whole thing up in the first place. He was walking back from Professor Sprout’s class when he’d bumped into his friend, resting negligently underneath an old tree.

“Did you know there’s a troll locked in the dungeons?” he’d confessed, almost enthusiastically. “And they say that at Halloween, the spell becomes weak, setting the troll free. I wonder if maybe this year we’ll get to see a glimpse of the troll. There’s less than a month left until Halloween…”

He didn’t believe it, at first. But then Minhyuk had pointed earnestly at the novel he was reading, and without even noticing, Jooheon was entering the school with a bag of Anjelica seeds and a stack of books piled on his arms. He was now finishing the fourth volume. And maybe he shouldn’t really take it at face value. After all, everyone knew that  it was Bulgaria, and not Ireland, who won the 422nd Quidditch World Cup…

“What about the basilisk?” he insisted, not fully convinced. “And the Grim?”

“You're forgetting about the Hungarian Horntail, too.”

And that was definitely not the right thing to say, because now Jooheon froze, eyes open like a baby owlet, and Hyungwon had a fork swinging dangerously in front of his immaculate nose as he waved his hands in a poor attempt to defend himself from a very red and very irritated Kihyun.

“For goodness’ sake, Hyungwon! You're supposed soothe him, not encourage him!”

“Okay! I didn’t mean that, I’m sorry!”

“If you’re not going to help, then why don’t you just keep your mouth shut!?”

“I know! My fault! I was just joking, okay? Relax!”

Kihyun still shot him a warning look out of the corner of his eyes before lowering the fork, fingers tightly pressed around its handle.

Jooheon buried his face in his arms, disheartened. He tried not to overthink it. There was no troll. No huge snake. No scary creatures waiting under the stairs to assault him. It was okay. It was safe.

But still he couldn’t help flinching every time some stupid kid dared to throw some Wildfired Whizz-Bangs outside, or one of those living bats swooping in low black clouds over the tables fluttered his wings too close for his own liking.

“Are you going to eat that?” Shownu asked eventually, pointing at the unfinished meatball with a perfectly innocent smile on his lips.

Jooheon just shrugged and shoved the plate towards him. “All yours,” he uttered. Then he flung his legs over the bench and rose from his seat. 

“Are you leaving?” Shownu looked up with a puzzled expression.

“Where are you going?”

“The dorms.”

“Wait. You can’t go just yet. It’s Halloween night! We are going to Hogsmeade, remember? There’s a sweet eating contest in HoneyDukes, and we promised Minhyuk we were going to play trick or treat with him, and…”

“Yeah, well… I think I’ll pass.”

“But...”

“Have fun without me. And don’t let Hyungwon eat all the snacks.”

“But… Hey, do you want us to go with you?”

“Yeah, you should be careful with the troll. He might be waiting for you at any corner.”

Jooheon stopped for a second -maybe to put his hands around Hyungwon’s pale neck, maybe to accept the escorting proposal. He smiled instead. A beaming grin stretching from ear to ear and making his eyes disappear into two crescent moons before dropping abruptly to a cold and dreadful stare.

“Rest assured. If I happen to meet the troll, I'll make sure to show him the shortest way to the Ravenclaw Tower.”

With that, he swirled on his feet and marched hastily towards the entrance.

The silence still stretched a bit longer before someone muttered, “If a troll ever pops out in the dungeons, though, I hope he eats Minhyuk first.”

Hyungwon’s high-pitched laugh was the last thing he heard before fading through the lonely corridors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey, Mxxndance here!  
> First, thank you for reading! This is the first chapter of a very chaotic halloween night. Then, sorry for any mistakes - english is not my mother language - and thank you to my two wonderful beta readers who have supported me and helped me so much. I hope you enjoy the rest of my work. And as always, kudos and comments are very much appreciated!!
> 
> PD: The work title comes from the first line of black swan, in case you're wondering.


	2. Intruder in the 4th floor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What troll?”  
> Jooheon yelled.  
> The voice yelled, too.  
> Jooheon yelled even louder, and was ready to charge, to cast the first spell and knock down the wicked devil who dared haunt the castle before taking to his heels and never stop running.  
> But he found nothing to strike.

Jooheon sprinted out of the great hall and towards the big stairs.

It was okay. It was fine. Let them laugh as much as they pleased. If he ever happened to meet a troll –and he hoped he was a nice, reasoning one– he'll make sure he’d make them pay.

And the next time he saw Minhyuk...

But for now Minhyuk would have to wait. He wasn't going to venture into the dungeons just yet, even if Kihyun had persuaded him there was no troll waiting there.

The dungeons were cold and creepy. There was this odd aura, like someone or something was staring right at his back from behind the shelves every time he took notes in Potions.

And then, there was Snape.

He shook his head and started climbing, jumping three steps at a time. Luckily he’d be at the dorms in no time. He could wrap himself in a blanket before the fireplace, scrawl some improvised spells into his abandoned journal and maybe finish that little wizard novel before reluctantly giving it back to Kihyun the next morning.

Luck didn’t seem to be on his favor that night, though.

“Now what,” he grumbled, blinking incredulously as the stairs picked the perfect time to come to life and slowly rotate in the exact opposite direction.

Jooheon waited, tapping his foot on the floor, until the stairs had properly landed at their place before hoping off and taking the next flight back. But as soon as he’d set foot on the first step, the damn thing revolted and started relocating, switching bricks like a crazy jigsaw puzzle until it opened a clear path up.

“You have to be kidding.”

He hissed, stomping his feet on the stones as he climbed, higher and higher. And he was starting to lose his mind, cause how could he keep ascending when the Hufflepuf Basement was one floor _below_ the ground level?

At the fourth floor, he headed towards the left corridor. There were a few secret passageways within the school. One of them, a small opening behind the canvas of Circe –showing the goddess transforming lost sailors into seagulls–, led straight back to the Entrance Hall side room. Minhyuk had caught Filch crossing behind the portrait, once, in pursuit of rule-breakers. He had shown Jooheon the next day.

And now Jooheon himself was taking advantage of the shortcut in a desperate attempt to get to the Common Room without escalating the Astronomy Tower first.

He paced down the hallway, passing Sidley Smirkpaltter’s painting, and then Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington’s, and the statue on an old wizard with a Clabbert on his back. Fortunately, the corridors were empty; the school void of noisy students that slipped away in search of some thrill and adventure at Halloween night. Otherwise, someone could have witnessed the exact moment Jooheon had flinched at the sight of the Clabbert, and the embarrassed laugh he’d uttered right after that.

After crossing Sir Smirkplatter’s bearded portrait twice, Jooheon frowned and started to worry. He was sure the portrait was there, somewhere right before Proffesor Binn's office.

But then again...

A sudden breeze blew at his back.

Jooheon jumped and hunched behind the Clabbert, nose protruding over the wizard's shoulder as his eyes darted from the bottomless corridor, to the flickering reflection of the candlelight on the windows, to the inscrutable darkness swimming beyond.

A soft creak. He winced and squeezed deeper behind the marble.

“Ki-kihyun hyung? Hyungwon hyung? Is that you?”

He waited, and waited a little bit more until he decided it was okay, he was okay, there was no troll, he could come out now.

But it wasn't really okay. He whimpered and tiptoed frantically on the floor before mustering the courage to come out of his hidden spot. 

He hadn't moved three steps when the same cold breeze twirled behind him and made the hair of his neck stand on end. 

Jooheon stopped and swirled on his feet. 

The hall was empty. No signs of intrusion, no deep growling, no flutter of curtains as heavy footsteps sneaked over the long corridor.

 _“Haha._ Okay guys, I know what you’re up to. You tricked me, okay? Now come out.”

A deep silence answered him back.

And maybe climbing up and down the stairs wasn’t such a bad idea. It’d sure take a few turns to make it to the basement, but at least he’d make it in one piece. 

“Guys? Come on, this is not funny.”

He licked his cracked lips and gulped.

“I swear if this is one of your jokes I’ll tell Lupin it was you who put that teen wolf poster on his door and I’ll hide cucumber in Minhyuk's food!”

_Swish._

“Okay, I take it back! I take it all back! No surprise cucumber for Minhyuk— I won’t even tell the troll where your room is!”

_“What troll?”_

Jooheon yelled.

The voice yelled, too.

Jooheon yelled even louder, and was ready to charge, to cast the spell first and knock down the wicked devil who dared haunt the castle before taking to his heels and never stop running. 

But he found nothing to strike.

He lost balance, cursing and tumbling with his own feet before falling face front to the floor. And there he curled into a ball, making himself as tiny as possible as he began trembling and sobbing with no shame or remorse.

 _Please, I want to live,_   _I want to get_ _an A in_ _Charms, to see Hufflepuff be awarded with the House Cup, to watch South Korea win the Quidditch World Championship..._

The silence made his ears twitch.

And maybe... maybe it was gone. Maybe it wasn’t there in the first place. Maybe it was just a trick of his imagination.

Once his heart stopped threatening to get out of his cage, Jooheon lifted his head over his shoulder, slowly, tentatively, almost undetectably, just to find the _thing_ perched over his body, staring curiously at him.

And he yelled.

The _thing_ yelled, again.

Jooheon yelled even louder, and recoiled, crawling backwards until his back was tightly pressed against something hard, and he wished he could dig a hole into the wall as easily as Harry Potter had made that window disappear at the zoo.

"Please don't kill me!"  

He whimpered, as he started chanting the words to some protective spell.

When nothing happened, he opened one eye, scrutinizing.

The thing hadn't moved. It was just staring baffled at him, _floating_ on the spot. 

“W-wait!” He managed, pointing at the creature with a stretched finger. “You! I know what you are! You’re _a ghost_!”

At the sound of his words, the thing moved. He swung back _,_ a hand on his chest and a dramatic expression of bewilderment on his face. “Oh my gosh! Am I!?”

And now that he was cool enough to pay attention, he could clearly see it through his hazy outline and the translucent hue of his kin.

Or the disturbing way his feet hung inches from the ground.

“Yes, _you are_!”

“Yes, _I AM_!!”

“ _AND WHY ARE YOU YELLING_!?”

“ _YOU STARTED YELLING AT ME FIRST_!!”

“ _BUT THAT’S CAUSE YOU SCARED ME_!" 

“I think I don’t understand this game.” The ghost floated down, as if he was deflating.

“What are you talking about? This isn’t a game!” Jooheon ran his hand all over his face, trying to restrain himself before he could give in to hysteria. “ _Heol_.”

“So… I did scare you,” the creature sneered proudly, after a while.

“No, you didn’t,” Jooheon replied, reticent. “You only surprised me… a bit.”

“Really?” And now he wafted back to him, getting closer and closer until his nose –a beautifully built nose matching beautiful curious eyes and a beautiful mischievous smirk– was inches away from his.

“ _Boo!”_

Jooheon didn’t intend to. But he shrieked, loud and clear.

The ghost burst out laughing then. And it was a hysteric laugh, a lunatic laugh, the laugh of a wild hyena.

“What’s wrong with you!?” Jooheon exclaimed, aghast.

“You should've seen your face. It was hilarious!”

And now he was twisting midair, bracing himself as dozens of chuckles echoed down the deserted corridors.

Jooheon glared angrily at him.

“What,” he said, sweeping tears of joy from his eyes. “Seems like you’ve never seen a ghost before.”

“Well, of course I did!” Jooheon replied, annoyed. “I saw Proffesor Binns, and the Fat Friar, and all the other house ghosts.”

“Then, what’s with all the drama?”

Jooheon looked away, eyes averted. “Well, I truly thought you were going to kill me.”

“Kill you?” he snorted. “And why would I kill you?”

“I don’t know. I just… I just thought... the troll…” he shook his head. “Never mind.”

The ghost still shot him a dubious glance, before shrugging nonchalantly.

“So,” Jooheon started, distrustful. “If you’re not here to kill me, then tell me. Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“You said it yourself. I’m a ghost.”

“That’s not what I meant. I mean… do you have a name?”

A soft rustle in the distance.

Jooheon drifted his attention away from the ghost and towards the blurred white glow slowly growing at the end of the corridor. 

“Someone's coming,” he muttered. Then jumped, startled, as he found his shocked face staring back at him from the blurred reflection on the windows.

The ghost was gone.

He’d left without a trace. And now he was alone, trapped between an impossible escape route or the small but familiar shelter under the Clabbert’s shade, as a mysterious figure got closer and closer.

He didn’t have the time to tell which option would lead to a less painful death before he found a _lumos_ charm pointing straight to the tip of his nose. 

This time, he managed not to cry out loud. 

He blinked, blinded by the intense light, and focused his gaze on the blonde round face wielding his wand menacingly at him.

“Jooheon-ah!” The witch opened his mouth, stunned, before gifting him with a joyful smile. “Yah! You know it's not safe to wander around the castle this late at night. What are you doing here?”

He almost fainted with relieve.

“Noona, I…”

 “Who where you talking to?”

“Talking?”

“Yeah, talking. I heard voices and traced them all the way here,” she said, then stepped forwards, arms akimbo. “I hope you’re not trying to pull any Halloween tricks, or you will force me to rest points to my own house.”

“ _Ani_ …” Jooheon shook his hands in midair. “Actually...” he looked up at the empty spot where the ghost had been floating just seconds ago. “Actually I was hiding.”

“Hiding?”

Jooheon nodded energically.

“And what exactly were you hiding from?”

“They say...” He hesitated. “Well, they say there's a troll hidden in the dungeons? And that it might come out on Halloween night?”

The witch stared at him, suspicious eyes and frowned lips, before she let out a sudden and loud chuckle.

“You're cute.” She messed up with his hair. “But you need a better story if you really want to scare someone at Halloween night. You know,” she leaned towards him and confessed in a whisper, “trolls just don’t pop out of dungeons like that.”

Jooheon blinked, confused. “But...”

“Come on. I'll walk you back to the common room.”

She didn't wait for an answer. She just turned around and shuffled back to the stairs, the sound of her shoes on the tiles trailing off along the corridor. 

Jooheon shot a last glance at the bare walls and the lonely flames glinting quietly on the chandeliers.

"Wait!" He exclaimed after the prefect.

Then, he jogged hurriedly to her side, following her one step closer to the cozy warmth of the castle and far away from the strange ghost on the 4th floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is me again. I'm sorry I can't keep my mouth shut.  
> Truth is, this was a hell of a chapter. I don't have confidence in my writing skills, so I tend to rewrite a loooot. On top of that I got stuck in the middle of the chapter and I felt pressured to keep updating, so I finished it in a hurry >.<.  
> I also need to clarify. That Circe painting is actually located at the stairs in the 4th floor, not in the corridor so.. uhm, I'm sorry I made you go through this, Honey.  
> And finally, I left the ghost name unannounced, but I hope you all caught the hints and forgive me about what I did. If you do, please, please, feel free to say whatever I really loved reading all your comments on chapter one.  
> 


	3. Wizards in Hogsmeade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogsmeade was the perfect recreation of a fairytale cover, a little village of cottages and shops, with dozens of tiny square windows and enchanted candles illuminating the streets as the four boys entered the main venue. Jack o’ lanterns hung in pairs from every lamppost, cobwebs tangled in trees, and in every corner, kids scampered and played concealed under white sheets.
> 
> It was cozy, and picturesque, and peaceful.
> 
> Until a war cry pierced through the night silence.

“It’s fucking freezing.” Hyungwon cursed under his breath and rubbed his hands vigorously as they walked down the path to Hogsmeade.

The Road to Hogsmeade was a rough mud track that rose at the gates of the castle and meandered across the grounds and the boundaries of the Dark Forest. To its left, it bifurcated to the old train station where the Hogwarts Express dropped its students every year. To its right, it persisted downhill into a sheer pathway leading the boys to the outskirts of the village.

“Why is it so cold? It’s barely November!” he complained.

“Maybe you should have put on some actual warm clothes, instead of dressing up like a snob.” Kihyun scolded him, squinting at his friend with a mixture of disapproval and concern. “You’re going to catch a cold.”

“I’m not a snob,” he retorted, fixing the sleeves of his long coat.  “This is my everyday clothing.”

Kihyun rolled his eyes. Then paused for a second and tilted his head, raising an amused eyebrow. “Or maybe you’re trying to impress someone...?”

“I’m not...!” Hyungwon restrained himself before he could stupidly fall for Kihyun’s bickering. But it was too late. Kihyun was already grinning with that smartass _I-knew-it_ smile of his.

“I think you look good.” Shownu noted, just in case. “But I can lend you my gloves, if you want.”

Hyungwon shook his head. “There’s no need…”

But the elder boy was already taking off his gloves and handing them gently to Hyungwon. “Here.”

Hyungwon stared at them, flustered and a little awkward, before thanking him and putting them on.

Shownu nodded, smiling sheepishly, and dug his own hands in his pockets.

Hogsmeade was the perfect recreation of a fairytale cover, a little village of cottages and shops, with dozens of tiny square windows and enchanted candles illuminating the streets as the four boys entered the main venue. Jack o’ lanterns hung in pairs from every lamppost, cobwebs tangled in trees, and in every corner, kids scampered and played concealed under white sheets.

It was cozy, and picturesque, and peaceful, and—

A war cry pierced through the night silence.

There was movement, and suddenly, a ghostly silhouette emerged from the shadows and leaped on them, aiming for the perfect ambush, but colliding instead against Shownu’s bear-like frame.

“Ouch! That actually hurt,” the assaulter whined, rubbing the bottom of his spine as he got up from where he had oh-so-spectacularly landed.

Kihyun peered his head from behind Shownu’s side. “Minhyuk?” He stepped forwards, frowning. “What the hell…?”

“I scared you, didn’t I?” the boy asked, grinning excitedly.

Hyungwon didn’t replay. He just stared off into space, resting against the older boy as he recovered from a very deathly heart attack.

“That’s a puppy mask you have there,” Shownu said, looking almost confused. “It’s not very um... horrific.”

“I know,” Minhyuk sighed. “I was hoping to get a vampire. You know, with blood, and fangs, and a fancy black cape. All the frightening ones were sold out, though. But look, I got this!”

All his miserable existence was forgotten as he took a big yellow and purple bag from his back and lifted it in the air, holding it high like some sort of trophy.

“What’s that?”

Minhyuk smirked mischievously before breaking it open and slipping his head on the inside. “There are Silver Sparking Snakes, and Thestral Thrashers, and Miraculous Mystic Mayhem Makers, and some Fantabulous Demon Wonderboxes, and Creepy Crawlies, and- Oh! I also got this Crush Blush Potion you asked me,” he said, taking some purplish flowery bottle and tossing it into Hyungwon’s hands. “Something about a pretty brunette on a broom…?”

“I- What!? I didn’t…! How did you…!? I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Hyungwon blushed furiously, holding the flask like it was burning his skin.

“Where did you get all this?” Kihyun asked, taking a questionable look at the contents of the bag.

“From Wizard Wheezes, in Diagon Alley, of course.  But shhh…” he warned, putting one finger over his lips, that childlike playful grin still plastered all over his face. “I told Filch they were props for transfiguration, but I think he didn’t believe me.”

“Are they even legal?”

“Um, I’m pretty sure not. Well, I think the Creepy Crawlers could pass for some kind of wild mutant centipedes from Hagrid’s class but…” He shrugged. “Anyway, where are we going?”

“Well, you were the one that insisted on coming here, saying you had a thousand marvelous plans for tonight. You know, this candy contest in HoneyDukes and…”

“Oh, right! candy! I want candy! I’m so hungry… Those cheese ball eyes weren’t too bad, though.”

Shownu frowned.

“Oh I almost forgot! I got this for you, too!” he exclaimed, taking some other unidentified artifact from the magic bag. “They’re matching masks! So we can be scary together!”

“Matching masks?”

“Yeah!” he nodded. “I got a turtle mask for you, and a plump hamster for Kihyun, and…”

“Wait, why do I have to be a hamster!?”

“…and a bear for Shownu cos he’s just so cute and- wait, where’s Honey?”

Kihyun sighed, loudly. “He didn’t come. He got all crept out because of some stupid Halloween rumor and literally ran out of the Great Hall without finishing his meal.”

“Really?” Minhyuk said, smiling widely.

“Yeah, something about a big troll? Hiding in the dungeons?”

“Oh my gosh, a troll in the dungeons. That’s so scary. And creepy. And completely ridiculous. Who would make up something so _cruel_?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, looking at him intently. “I thought maybe you knew something?”

He shrugged, all twinkling eyes and innocent smile. “Escapes me.”

But the smile only lasted for a few seconds before some kind of emotion –hesitation? guilt? – leaked into his features. “Maybe… maybe we should go back and convince him?”

“Believe me,” he shook his head. “We’ve tried.”

“But... but I wanted to go eat candy with him,” he pouted, “and scare some third graders, and look! I bought this cute bee mask and don’t you think it looks just like him?”

“Wasn’t there something not like a hamster?” Kihyun was still complaining. “Something less… harmless and fluffy? Something like a shark or…”

“Nope. But there was also a wolf, and bunny. Would’ve you preferred the bunny?”

“Never mind…”

“So! What are we waiting for?”

Kihyun rolled his eyes. “You lead the march.”

“Great!”

With that, he put an arm around Hyungwon’s shoulders and shuffled down the street, letting his own steps led them to the paradise of candy and teeth cavities.

Shownu approached Kihyun from behind.

“I know what you’re going to say. Cute, isn’t it?” Kihyun grumbled.

Shownu grinned in response, putting his bear mask over his head.

Kihyun stared at the hamster, looking at him all happy and chubby. Then he let out a deep sigh and put on his own mask, following the kids towards wherever destination awaited for them.

Their voices raised and dissipated in the distance.

“Do you think we can take a peek at the shrieking shack?”

“Don’t even think of it.”

“Ah, come on…”

“I said no.”

“Just a glance! I promise we go back as soon as we see something weird.”

“What do you mean _something weird_?”

“Just the average monster, a couple of shrieks, maybe a werewolf? By the way… I like your coat.”

“Fuck off, Minhyuk…”

 


	4. The Pretty Boy in Potions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Then he spotted him.  
> Long coat over his shoulders and a lost gaze wandering through the glass bottles at the cabinet, he brushed a wine-red strand off his forehead as he restlessly waited for his turn by the counter.  
> The pretty boy in Potions.

The three Shrunken Heads complained rudely as Hoseok pushed the door open and walked into the Three Broomsticks.

As every other place in Hogsmeade that night, the inn was crowded and noisy. A mirror at the entrance reflected the bustling atmosphere — dozens of wizards and witches gathered around round wooden tables and all along the counter, chanting sparkly spells and raising a cloud of glinting jars and foaming pewter tankards filled with butterbeer, gillywater, red currant rum, and even cherry syrup and soda with ice and an umbrella.

Taking a seat was a battle he didn't want to fight. Instead, Hoseok fixed his gaze on a discrete corner at the further end of the bar.

“ _Sesange_!”

“ _What? What is it?”_

The whispers followed the beat of his footsteps as he shuffled between tables and benches towards his chosen spot.

“ _Wonho oppa.”_

_“Wonho oppa!?”_

_“Hush!”_

_“Gosh, he’s so tall and beautiful...”_

The witches greeted him shyly, and Hoseok greeted them back, a smile as dazzling and warm as the sun radiating on his face.

Then he spotted him.

Long coat over his shoulders and a lost gaze wandering through the glass bottles at the cabinet, he brushed a wine-red strand off his forehead as he restlessly waited for his turn by the counter.

The pretty boy in Potions.

Hoseok paused as Hyungwon thanked the bartender and took a bunch of iced jars in his hands. Then, without warning, he lifted a waving hand towards him, his lips pulling at the corners to a wishful grin.

But Hyungwon didn’t wave back.

He went still, eyes round and jaw set as he turned around and rushed away.

Hoseok blinked, bewildered.

“Wait...!”

A second too late.

Hyungwon crashed, staggering backwards, and the jars danced dangerously on his hands before landing safe and miraculously on the hands of the Gryffindor guardian.

“Ya," Shownu gave him a puppy smile. "You should be more careful. You could have made a huge mess here.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, flustered.

“You were taking too long, so I came to see if you need help. Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Yeah!” His gaze slipped away for a second. “But we better hurry. You know how much Minhyuk hates to wait.”

Hoseok closed his waving hand and scratched his neck, embarrassed.

Maybe he hadn’t recognized him. Maybe something had caught his attention in that exact moment.

He wasn’t trying to ignore him deliberately.

Right?

“Why the long face?”

The grin soon returned to his place as the smiley eyes of the Gryffindor chaser appeared before him.

“Hey, hi!”

“Brrrrrrr. It’s so cold outside,” the boy shivered, as he took off his jacket and parked himself next to him. “You could’ve saved me the trouble and tell me you were here. I was about to give up and set off for the Hog's Head. Can you imagine?”

Hoseok laughed quietly at his friend's rambling.

“Well, I just arrived myself.”

“Hey!” the wizard raised his hand up and leaned over the counter. “Two butterbeers here, pelase?”

When Rosmerta approached them, she was carrying two jars filled with a bright yellow liquid on the tray. The young wizard picked them up and placed them in front of each other.

“So… are you gonna tell me now what’s troubling that pretty head of yours?”

“Oh, that…” Hoseok smiled shyly before shaking his head. “That’s nothing.”

“I hope you’re not still upset for the match,” he elbowed him. “Those Slytherins… They’re nothing more than tricksters, but they have some nice skills, I must admit that.” He took a long sip from his drink and rubbed the foam from his mouth. “Either way. You know it’s not your fault, right? So you can stop torturing yourself and enjoy Halloween night for a change.”

Hoseok stared at the untouched glass. “Yeah, I guess so. Thank you for the encouraging, though."

“Any time! After all, there's no one who can beat the mighty _KWON FIYAAAAAA_!"

A deep silence set on the tavern as dozens of perplexed eyes focused on the odd wizard standing up, shouting at the top of his lungs and a triumphant arm in the air, on top of his chair. 

The boy seemed to notice a second too late. He sat down at once, burning cheeks and eyes hidden behind a goofy smile. 

"Oops. Haha. Anyway!" he carried on, as if nothing happened. "Next time we’ll win for sure. All we have to do is crush those nasty snakes." And with a fierce determination glinting in his eyes, he lifted his jar in the air. “To our next victory!”

Hoseok laughed out loud. “To our next victory!”

“Cheers!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there's still anyone reading this, I'm incredibly sorry for this long hiatus. Lots of things happened and I couldn't find the time and will time to write. Also, I'm a perfectionist bitch so I'm still struggling to give the perfect chapter for my boys. This chapter still has a long way to go, but I thought I should give you guys some material in compensation for the long waiting. Thanks for reading as always. I'll try to update as soon as I can!


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